Today’s guest post comes from Lisa Cericola, editor of Dinner Party and home entertainer extraordinaire. Although she’s an outstanding cook, Lisa also mixes a mean cocktail and is sharing one of her new summer finds. Check out more of her drink recipes on Design*Sponge and Shelterrific.
Do you remember getting Slurpees as a kid? It was all too exciting, wasn’t it? The choice of flavors (my tastes ran toward white cherry, or occasionally Cherry Coke), the machine’s giant lever, the snow-like beverage that snaked out, the dome-shaped plastic lid, the humongous straw. The frosty first sip was always the best part, but noisily sucking up the stray bits of ice at the bottom of an empty cup was also satisfying. Although annoying to adults for some reason.
I don’t really get cravings for Slurpees that much anymore. They are not made of things found in nature. They are sold in convenience stores, a place I don’t find myself too often. And I’m also not twelve years old anymore. But on a really hot day, there’s something to be said for a sweet, slushy drink filled with bits of ice.
So last Saturday, I wiped the sweat off of the back of my neck for the twentieth time and reached for the blender. I had lemons, I had sugar, I had two full ice cube trays. Working from Alain Coumont’s basil limeade slushy recipe from Food & Wine, I traded out the basil for mint, and the limes for lemons, adding extra seltzer for fizz.
In the end, the recipe made a tangy, bright green drink that immediately cooled me off. It didn’t come with a giant straw and I didn’t get to pull a cool lever, but some childhood memories are best left untouched. And being an adult isn’t all bad. One reason: cocktail slushies*.
Mint Lemonade Slushy
Serves 4
- 4 cups ice
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup mint
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup seltzer, plus extra for topping off drinks
Place all ingredients in a blender and process on high until the ingredients form a slushy. Pour into glasses and top off with seltzer for extra fizz. Cocktail umbrellas optional.
*To make cocktail slushies, a great party drink, there are several ways to go. For a neutral lemonade flavor, mix in one shot of vodka for every serving. For a mojito-like drink, add one shot of light rum per serving. For a margarita-ish slushy, add one shot of tequila per serving.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Mmm. I’d love to try a variation of this, since I’m not a mint person. Sounds delish!
Hi RainyDaySaver! You could easily substitute basil for the mint. Rosemary or thyme would also be nice, I bet.
I’ve been on a tarragon kick lately; it might be a little overwhelming on its own, but mixing half rosemary/half tarragon sounds intriguing!
Yeah, I could see that. Or using straight tarragon, but a bit less.
I’ll be drinking one of these in Outer Banks next week – yum!